Kiss
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: Yuletide has come once again and with it comes mistletoe in all its festive mayhem as kisses are exchanged (occasionally in a most begrudging manner).
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: Yuletide has come once again and with it comes mistletoe in all its festive mayhem as kisses are exchanged (occasionally in a most begrudging manner).

A/N: This is part of my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe. Enjoy!

**Kiss**

_**Part One**_

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23 Yule 1007

Peter chuckled as he watched Edmund stomping off in the snowdrifts with several others, including Peridan's eldest children, Tarrin and Raisa, following in his well-flattened wake. A soft voice suddenly spoke up beside him, "Peter, should you tease your brother so?"

He turned and grinned at the pretty Nymph standing next to him then squeezed her hand as they walked in another direction, "Of course, I should. If he weren't too busy grousing over the fact that Susan sent us and everyone else she deemed non-essential to gather more mistletoe and pine branches and holly to finish decorating for the Christmas Day Ball, he would be heckling _me_, Thalia."

Thalia glanced over her shoulder then slanted a look at him, "Why exactly does he dislike this activity? He did not protest last year."

Peter grinned as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Susan didn't let him have coffee."

Thalia laughed and shook her head, "Truly? That is all?"

"And he only went to bed at fourth hour this morn."

"But it is eighth hour and Queen Susan had him rousted from bed at sixth hour."

Peter smirked, "Exactly. Edmund's night owl habits really do him a disservice some days and this is one of them."

They both paused when Edmund's disgruntled shout drifted toward them and Thalia glanced at Peter. Her light green eyes were wide with sincere concern, "Perhaps it would be better if someone provided the Just King with coffee?"

Chuckling, Peter led her further into the trees, "If he's still acting like a perfect beast in an hour, I'll go fetch the coffee myself, Flower."

Thalia smiled and shook her head again. Only a few minutes later, Atuki Raccoon and some of his youngest siblings chittered to them from the branches of a magnificent old pine. Atuki pointed to the north, "King Peter! King Peter! We found mistletoe three trees north and two to the west. It's a huge clump!"

Peter smiled and nodded to the Raccoon and the young kits, "My thanks, Atuki. Please lead the way, so we might avoid incurring the Gentle's wrath."

The Raccoon nodded while his siblings hummed in unison, "Keen Zuzu!"

Peter bit his lip, trying not to laugh even after Thalia linked her arm with his in such a way that she managed to elbow him in the ribs. He glanced at her then whispered, "And to them, Edmund is 'Ing Emu."

Thalia surprised him into full-out laughter when she whispered back in the serenest of tones, "And you are 'Ing Pet, so you've nothing to stand on, sir."

Once they reached the abundance of mistletoe, Peter wasn't able to stay right next to Thalia as he was truly tempted (mainly due to one of Atuki's younger siblings deciding to drop on his head and yank on his hair while avoiding his hands). After an hour, though, they had enough mistletoe to fill four baskets and Peter plucked a sprig to use. Holding the sprig of mistletoe behind his back, Peter tramped over to where Thalia was catching one of the baskets being lowered by the older Raccoons. He cleared his throat and Thalia turned to him, but as he moved to raise the mistletoe over her head, something hit the branch above him then landed on his head.

His vision completely obscured, Peter sat down, landing in a deep snowdrift. Reaching up, he felt the lip of a basket and lifted it off his head. The action sent a number of mistletoe clumps tumbling to the snow around him, but the majority was encased within his crown (which his valet had insisted he wear) and hanging over his eyes. He heard Atuki mutter "Duht" from somewhere above him while the rest of his gathering group giggled.

Then the snow crunched softly as Thalia knelt in front of him. He grinned and shrugged helplessly, knowing he must be a sight, "Well, no one can say I'm not in the Yuletide spirit."

Thalia laughed then she leaned forward and softly whispered, "My Mistletoe King, tradition is tradition." Then she lightly brushed her lips against his, but before she could withdraw, Peter caught her chin and held her still so he could give her a slightly deeper kiss. He grinned as she blushed and ducked her head when the kiss ended. Grabbing the now-empty basket as he scrambled to his feet, Peter held it out in front of him as he bowed deeply and let the mound of mistletoe on his head fall into it (though he did have to rescue his crown as it went in too). Still chuckling, he and the rest of his group continued their Yuletide mission. One thing was certain, he was definitely having a better time of it than Edmund was…and having the Raccoons accidentally dump a basket of mistletoe on his head was _far_ preferable to all the times the little rascals of each litter had beaned him with a "s'iny."

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! I hope you and your families have a very merry Christmas!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: Yuletide has come once again and with it comes mistletoe in all its festive mayhem as kisses are exchanged (occasionally in a most begrudging manner).

A/N: This is part of my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe. Enjoy!

**Kiss**

_**Part Two**_

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"Mornings should be banned. Being forced to go hunt for more mistletoe and pine branches and holly at sixth hour because "Oh, we just don't have enough in the Cair already. See? I can still tell there's a mantle over the fireplace in the parlor and look that pillar has some marble showing" should be banned. Having to do this ridiculous task without coffee should be banned. Being woken up and forced to do _anything_ outside in the cold in the middle of winter without coffee should be banned." Edmund scowled at the basket of holly he was lugging to the current set of baskets awaiting delivery to the Cair. His stomach growled noisily and he scowled even more as he added, "And being forced to go on this ridiculous task without breakfast should definitely be banned."

"Hear! Hear!"

Edmund glanced at Tarrin who was adding several pine branches to their designated sleigh. At least someone else understood his travail here. "Girls and mistletoe together, it's probably the worst idea ever to be thought of in history. They're strange enough _without_ adding in ridiculous rules claiming you have to kiss them if you're caught under a sprig. Caught… It's mistletoe entrapment, Tarrin. And the way Susan has us bringing her even more traps, why we're going to end up with no place that's safe from the mistletoe entrapment. I, for one, should like to be able to walk down the hall without being ambushed under the mistletoe by whichever lady decides she wants to claim a kiss." He grimaced, "Especially, if it's one of those visiting ambassador's daughters with appalling manners…and a far more forceful grip than expected."

Tarrin nodded, "It's quite unfair. I thought we were only supposed to be in fear for our lives when in battle and training."

Edmund snorted in wry amusement as he grabbed the last empty basket and carried it back to the grove where they had found various clusters of holly and mistletoe alike (though he took pains to stay far away from the mistletoe). Scowling, he resumed contemplating the wonderful coffee he'd been forced (forced! Mind you) to walk right by as Susan veritably shoved him out the Cair's main doors as he gathered holly, tossing it into the basket. Dragging the basket of holly to the middle of the grove, he shook his head as he muttered under his breath, "Sisters who don't know when to stop decorating should be banned until they apologize for the coffee deprivation." His stomach growled even noisier than it had before and he added, "And the food deprivation."

"King Edmund?"

He straightened abruptly and turned to see Raisa watching him shyly, her red curls more flyaway than usual, and he nodded to her. He had to be civil to Tarrin's little sister…at least he didn't have to worry about _her_ attempting to entrap him under mistletoe. "What is it, Raisa?"

The redhead glanced down at the snow then she moved her hands out from behind her back to show she was cradling a large steaming mug of coffee. "I…I… You wanted coffee, King Edmund, and well, so did a lot of other people too and Queen Susan just sent a large, hot pot of coffee for everyone out here who wanted it and well… That is, you see, I…I broughtyousomeifyouwantit."

Edmund blinked in surprise, and then he focused on the coffee. Its tantalizing scent was just begging him to take it and gulp it down as fast as he could manage without scalding his throat…actually, he could survive the scalding. He just needed the coffee. "My thanks, Raisa, it was most generous of you to bring me this."

She blushed and ducked her head as she stepped up to him, holding out the steaming mug of coffee. "It wasn't any trouble, King Edmund."

Edmund's hand just settled around the mug when Shesheta shouted gleefully, "Oh look, look!" Everyone paused in their respective tasks and looked over at where the juvenile Leopard was practically dancing with excitement. She raised one black paw and pointed at Edmund, gleefully shouting, "They're under mistletoe! King Edmund! King Edmund! You have to kiss Raisa now!"

A vague feeling of horror and disbelief filled him as he looked up and realized that after spending over an hour avoiding that dratted mistletoe, he was now stuck under a large clump of mistletoe. He sighed then leaned down just a bit to barely peck Raisa on the lips. Raisa stepped back so quickly that he nearly lost his coffee. Making sure his precious coffee was still upright, Edmund glanced up just in time to see Raisa's cheeks bloom with a blush that put her red curls to shame before she hurried off.

Shesheta, that not-so-little troublemaker, pounced through the snow until she could reach him. Edmund took a drink of coffee and it practically scalded his throat. It was wonderful. "My turn!"

He coughed and choked on his coffee as laughter filled the air. He raised an eyebrow at the young Leopard, "What?"

Shesheta grinned, showing off her still-growing fangs, as she happily replied, "My turn! You're still under the mistletoe, King Edmund, and I'm under it with you now. It's my turn for a mistletoe kiss!"

The laughter grew louder as Edmund hung his head, then (being very careful not to spill his coffee) he knelt in the cold snow and planted a kiss between Shesheta's ears. The Leopard kissed his chin then she gamboled off, nearly tripping over her paws as she giggled. Edmund hastily got back to his feet then stepped out from under the mistletoe clump before he brushed at the snow clinging to his pant legs. The Narnians' simple delight at mistletoe mischief and mayhem didn't seem to wane as the years passed. He glanced at his coffee cup and gulped down another mouthful.

He hadn't dragged the basket of holly far when he was forced to stop as Tarrin stepped directly into his path. The younger boy crossed his arms and shook his head then intoned, "King Edmund, would you please stop kissing my sister before I'm required to hit you? After all, you are five years older than her."

Edmund spit out the mouthful of coffee and gaped at Tarrin. "What? I didn't plan on it! She's twelve, I'm seventeen, and I don't like mistletoe! But it's the same ridiculous tradition that caught us when we both had to kiss those countesses from Narrowhaven, the ones who were older than _your_ grandmother. And…and you've kissed Lucy five times due to the mistletoe this month! I've only been stuck under it with your sister twice, once a Yuletide. If anyone's going to be the righteously indignant older brother, then by all rights it should be me."

Tarrin's eyes widened, "But that wasn't on purpose! I didn't even know there was a mistletoe hazard until it was too late to escape before anyone noticed."

Edmund nodded, "That's exactly the point! It's all the mistletoe entrapment that causes this ridiculousness!"

Tarrin frowned then his face cleared as he nodded and grabbed the other handle of the basket full of holly. "And yet we're supplying the required elements for _more_ mistletoe entrapment."

Edmund shook his head, "It's the cruelty we happily single boys have to deal with…and Susan has a cruel streak when it comes to decorating for Yuletide." Then he took another sip of his coffee, "But, sometimes she does things to make up for that unfortunate fact."

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: Yuletide has come once again and with it comes mistletoe in all its festive mayhem as kisses are exchanged (occasionally in a most begrudging manner).

A/N: This is part of my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe. Enjoy!

**Kiss**

_**Part Three**_

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24 Yule 1007

Katerina stifled a laugh as Oreius walked as close as he could by her side without actually touching her arm or hand. Indulging the Kentauri on this unexpected trip just before the Christmas Eve feast was already proving amusing at least. Of course, she suspected he was still attempting to make up for the mistletoe mishap involving that Cagri last week, which she _had_ forgiven him for since it wasn't actually his fault (and she remembered that so long as she didn't think about that little kiss between him and the flirty Centauress too much). Oreius led her into the Hall of Remembrance and she raised an eyebrow at him in silent question.

He grinned at her and shrugged, "It is the most private place I could think of that would not rouse the matchmakers' suspicions."

Katerina shook her head, smiling as she walked by the preserved relics of Narnia's past. "It's not exactly what I would label 'romantic' but it will do."

Oreius caught her hand, keeping his grip light and gentle as he spun her to face him. His dark eyes searched hers before he asked, "And just what do you consider 'romantic,' my Alambiel?"

"Well, at Yuletide, I would consider it to be sitting in front of a roaring fire with something chocolate and, I don't know, it's the atmosphere of Yuletide to be special and it doesn't take much to turn 'special' into 'romantic.' A, well, a sprig of mistletoe would be enough to accomplish that change."

Oreius nodded, considering, then his gaze traveled up and he stilled. Katerina tilted her head but before she could look for herself or ask, he commented in a most contemplative tone, "We're standing under some mistletoe."

She glanced up and there was indeed a bundle of mistletoe hanging from a long red ribbon, which had been looped around one of the banners at the base of its pole. She looked back at Oreius and raised an eyebrow, "Correction. _You_ are standing under the mistletoe, Kentauri. I'm not."

The Kentauri smirked then tugged her close, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Now we are _both_ under the mistletoe, as it should be."

Katerina laughed, noting that he was far too satisfied with himself for just happening upon a stray bundle of mistletoe, and then she gasped in surprise when he dipped her backwards before kissing her. The kiss was tender and sweet. She opened her eyes after he broke the kiss and the smug creature grinned at her, "Is this 'romantic' enough for you, Princess?"

She _should_ have scolded him for using her title to tease her (especially since he knew quite well that she only suffered being addressed as such because she had to...that and no one listened when she told them not to call her that or "Your Highness"). However, she just laughed breathlessly and nodded.

Oreius grinned (definitely far too smug about her reaction) and dropped a feather-light kiss to her forehead then her nose but as their lips brushed for a second time, they both heard the sound of voices approaching. Katerina's eyes widened as Oreius straightened her then she stepped out his embrace. A glance at one of the glass cases proved that she wasn't going to be able to hide the fact that she had been kissed. Time to hide.

She ducked behind one of the pillars in the far corner of the room, leaving Oreius to deal with the intruders. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from snickering when she heard the Kentauri let out a long sigh. Hidden from view (and avoiding any and all reflective surfaces), Katerina listened as the voices separated into each of the Four's distinct voices.

They had fallen silent, probably because they hadn't expected to find Oreius in the Hall of Remembrance. Then Susan's bewildered question shattered the silence, "Why was mistletoe hung up in here? It's a ridiculous place to put it."

Katerina's shoulders shook with silent laughter as Oreius simply replied, "My thoughts exactly, My Queen."

Peter's amusement was rolling off his voice as he asked, "Maybe you should be asking who hung it up?"

Susan's sigh whispered through the room, "I will find out."

Edmund's tone was full of that cheerful brightness that made everyone around him wary when he piped up, "I bet it was Peter."

"What? No, it wasn't me. Why would I hang it up in here?"

"Obviously because you didn't get your full of the mistletoe entrapment with Thalia in all the other rooms of the Cair so now you make it so even the Hall of Remembrance isn't a safe refuge. It makes perfect sense!"

"That doesn't make any sense at all!"

"Majesties!" In the ensuing silence, Oreius continued in his if-you-don't-listen-I'll-ignore-the-season-and-sentence-you-to-very-exhausting-training-exercises tone of voice, "Are you not to open the feast in less than an hour? And do you not need to finish preparing yourselves for the feast as well?"

Katerina clamped her hand over her mouth even harder as she tried to keep from laughing aloud as Susan cried, "Oh! You're right. Peter, Edmund, look at you! Did you even change after you came in from the ice fishing tournament earlier? Go on, hurry up and change into something appropriate and festive." Edmund's groan resounded through the room but then she heard the sound of booted feet hurrying out followed by the light steps and swishing skirts belonging to Susan.

Lucy's steps didn't quite make it to the door then she asked, "Oreius, when you see Kat, will you see if you can persuade her to come to the feast on time this year?"

Katerina rolled her eyes as Oreius rumbled his agreement. Then the door closed behind Lucy's retreating footsteps and silence fell. Katerina didn't move out from her hiding place behind the wide pillar, but it took hardly any time for Oreius to come find her. She grinned up at him as he braced one arm above her head, "Not quite as private as you had hoped, hmm?"

Oreius shrugged then brushed his fingers through her hair before cupping her cheek, "It was private enough."

"I suppose I really should reward you for sending the Four on their way, especially since Susan and Lucy have been recruited to the matchmaker conspiracy."

The Kentauri chuckled as he leaned down so their faces were level, "If my lady wishes to do so, I will not object."

Katerina smirked then kissed him before she slipped away and rounded the pillar. Oreius caught her hand and she glanced over her shoulder and winked at him. "That was the reward. And that's all you get."

"Will you be on time to the feast?"

"Yes, a chara."

Oreius grinned, obviously still quite pleased at her relatively new habit of calling him "dear," and then he pulled her into a hug, "Merry Christmas, Alambiel, my love."

Katerina didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him in return. Tilting her head up, she lightly kissed him once more. "Merry Christmas, Oreius. Love you."

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Here's some Christmas KnockOut fluff (finally). Enjoy! Have a very Merry Christmas!**


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